Canada’s reputation as an immigrant-friendly country has taken another big blow with the latest ban on work permits for most foreign students and workers. Starting next week, the federal government will impose further restrictions on access to open work permits for families of international students and temporary foreign workers.
Following an announcement last fall of reductions in the number of temporary residents in Canada, Ottawa released further details on Tuesday on changing the eligibility for family members of study and work permit holders to get authorization to work legally in Canada</span>. Effective Jan. 21, only spouses of the following international students and foreign workers can apply for the family open work permits.
International Points
Students enrolled in master’s programs that are 16 months or longer and in doctoral programs or undergraduate programs in select professions such as medicine, law, and nurse.
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- Foreign workers are classified as in high-skill, high-wage managerial positions or occupations generally requiring a university degree
Foreign workers in the lower-wage, lower-skilled spectrum in so-called TEER 2 or 3 occupations with labor shortages or in natural and applied sciences, construction, health care, natural resources, education, sports, and military sectors.
In addition, the foreign worker must have at least 16 months remaining on their work permit when their spouse applies for the family work permit. Dependent children of foreign workers will no longer be eligible for this work permit.
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“The Government of Canada is continuing to strengthen the integrity and quality of our temporary resident programs while supporting the country’s economic goals and labor market needs,” the Immigration Department said in a public note ice.
Toronto Star reported that some feared the new measures would achieve the opposite. “If the strategy is to deter the best and the brightest from coming to Canada, then this is
an excellent strategy,” said Ottawa-area-based immigration lawyer Tamara Mosher-Kuczer.
She said many of these coveted workers in the lower rung of the professional ladder, such as computer network technicians a and lab technologists, only have a college education and are filling Canada’s labor gaps. Yet, their families may be excluded from work authorization. “We want the best and the brightest to work here, but now we’re saying, ‘No, actually, we expect your spouses to stay at home and to work,’ ” Mosher-Kuczer said on behalf of the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association.
“This change is crushing for foreign workers if you think about who can afford to live on one salary now. “Syed Hassan, executive director of the Toronto-based Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, said the changes completely reverse the Liberal government’s commitment to promoting family reunification.
What Did the Immigration Minister Say?
In 2022, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser expanded the open work permit program to include those working in low-skill occupations. The scheme, meant to address labor shortages, was estimated to benefit the family members of more than 200,000 foreign workers.
“This temporary measure aims to improve the emotional well-being, physical health, and financial stability of workers by keeping families together,” the Immigration Department said in a news release. Hassan said Ottawa has recently capped the length of work permits at 12 months the changes to limit family work permits to spouses and dependents of foreign workers with 16 months remaining on their permits mean few families would be eligible.
“It’s sporadic for anyone to get a 16-month work permit,” he said. “This is not only a disappointing and upsetting turn. Not only from what’s right, which is families belong together, but also from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promises.”